Danella History

How Danella Grew

Since May 5, 1972, Danella has been working to make life go. For over 45 years, Jim Danella, Chairman &amp; CEO, has built Danella Companies, Inc. to include numerous divisions and lines of business. By valuing people, safety, and integrity in all Danella’s work, the company has become an industry leader in the utility, transit, and railroad industries, as well as storm restoration and equipment rentals.

1972 : How It All Began

In 1972, Jim Danella purchased Thomas W. Faulkner, Jr. Inc., a utility construction company in Norristown, PA. From that day on, Jim began building what would be known as Danella Companies, Inc. with the invaluable help of a few remaining Faulkner employees who didn’t walk out when he took over.

1973 : Growing a Company

Originally in Norristown, the headquarters soon moved to 2290 Butler Pike in Plymouth Meeting, PA where it still is today. With this move came growth outside of Montgomery, PA into neighboring counties. Wherever Jim Danella and his team could bid on contracts and secure work, they set up shop.

1977 : The Breakthrough

The breakthrough contract came in 1977 when Danella won the coveted Bell Telephone maintenance contract for Philadelphia, and parts of Bucks and Chester Counties. The industry was moving and booming, and soon the company grew to include not only communications and electric work, but also gas, water, and steam.

1978 : A Name Change

On March 1, 1978, T.W. Faulkner became the Danella Construction Corporation. The name was to reflect the growth in geography, revenue, and reputation that the company was undergoing. Jim Danella wanted this to reflect not on the old company and employees, but the current.

1979 : Expansion

The year 1979 marked the beginning of what would become years of growth. For the next ten years, more than ten different businesses were formed, including entities in New Jersey, New York, Ohio, and Florida. The offices were supported by a unique group of ambitious young project managers dubbed the “Traveling Warriors.” Many of these offices remain in operation today, continuing to work with long-time customers on replacing aging infrastructure.

1983 : Acquisition

In 1983 Danella acquired Counties Construction and Engineering Company with offices in Philadelphia, Delaware, and New Jersey. Many long-time Counties employees joined Danella rising into leadership positions within the organization. In the history of Danella Companies, this acquisition was the only one. Currently, we see growth through pursuing new business contracts organically, not through acquisitions.

1984 : Rentals

As Danella continued to expand its geographic footprint in construction, an opportunity in equipment and truck rentals opened in 1984. During the winters when business slowed, Danella would rent equipment to the rail industry. In 1986 it became apparent that there was a real business in the rentals industry, and so began the highly successful Danella Rental Systems, Inc., offering high-quality truck, equipment, and hi-rail rentals, in addition to on track construction equipment. Offering customer service to railroads, transit authorities, utilities, and construction companies.

1985 : DLSI

In addition to rentals, during the 1980s a boom in the telecommunication industry was happening. Millions of feet of fiber optic lines were being run and poles being set for both residential and commercial customers. In 1985 Danella Line Services, Inc. began work, and two years later after great success split from Danella Construction to become its own division. The company soon moved into the Conshohocken Road Facility in Norristown as they outgrew the yard at 2290 Butler. The division continued to grow throughout the 1990s during the dot.com boom and into the 2000s updating outdated telecommunication technology. Since then the division has worked in over eleven states, and for over twenty-six large communication customers.

By 2001, Danella had outgrown its previous headquarters, and as a result, a new headquarters building was built at 2290 Butler Pike. Danella also responded to the World Trade Center during the early-2000s to restore infrastructure services after the attack and assisted in the infrastructure for the Freedom Tower. Divisions continued to be added and in 2007, “Pride in Everything We Do.®” was officially trademarked and became Danella’s mantra.

Present

Most recently Danella has expanded into the storm restoration (2012), railroad construction industries (2015), and vegetation management. As of 2019, Danella has expanded into Canada and the West Coast of the United States. We continue to look for new opportunities as we are always seeking to help our communities.

We Make Life Go®We are especially proud that our employees are the best-trained professionals in the field — not just meeting but exceeding today’s requirements through weekly, monthly, and annual training.Reach Out